ISSARA Institute Foundation

Project Issara is a ground-breaking alliance of private sector, government, and NGO partners joining forces and leveraging their comparative advantage to tip the balance in favour of good business practice in Southeast Asia, with the specific goal of eliminating human trafficking from export-oriented supply chains. Project Issara is the flagship program of the Issara Institute, a not-for-profit corporation formed in 2014 by a team of human trafficking experts coming out of the United Nations whose goal is to advance freedom, choices, and opportunities to those who need it most – from disenfranchised factory workers to stranded, abused fishermen to migrant children. We believe that business and society benefit from freedom and opportunity being enjoyed by all.Project Issara has 3 inter-linked components, at the core of which is worker voice, ensuring that all Issara work is centered on the welfare and voices of migrant workers and trafficking victims. The 3 inter-linked components are:

1. Issara Labs – intelligence and innovation, including outreach, information, and assistance to thousands, through the Issara multi-lingual hotline, smartphone technology, and community engagement, generating data and analysis for action and decision-making.2. Private sector partnership and action, including factory/workplace assessment and improvement solutions to identify and eliminate risks of trafficking and other labour abuses in global supply chains.3. Victim support fund – ‘Freedom of Choice’ is Issara’s philosophy for victim support, whether support is provided directly by Issara or referral partners. The objective is to empower victims of trafficking with the widest range of options, information, and resources for them to make their own informed choices about their recovery and their futures.

Project Issara is a ground-breaking alliance of private sector, government, and NGO partners joining forces and leveraging their comparative advantage to tip the balance in favour of good business practice in Southeast Asia, with the specific goal of eliminating human trafficking from export-oriented supply chains. Project Issara is the flagship program of the Issara Institute, a not-for-profit corporation formed in 2014 by a team of human trafficking experts coming out of the United Nations whose goal is to advance freedom, choices, and opportunities to those who need it most – from disenfranchised factory workers to stranded, abused fishermen to migrant children. We believe that business and society benefit from freedom and opportunity being enjoyed by all.

Project Issara has 3 inter-linked components, at the core of which is worker voice, ensuring that all Issara work is centered on the welfare and voices of migrant workers and trafficking victims. The 3 inter-linked components are:

Issara Labs – intelligence and innovation, including outreach, information, and assistance to thousands, through the Issara multi-lingual hotline, smartphone technology, and community engagement, generating data and analysis for action and decision-making.

Private sector partnership and action, including factory/workplace assessment and improvement solutions to identify and eliminate risks of trafficking and other labour abuses in global supply chains.

Victim support fund – ‘Freedom of Choice’ is Issara’s philosophy for victim support, whether support is provided directly by Issara or referral partners. The objective is to empower victims of trafficking with the widest range of options, information, and resources for them to make their own informed choices about their recovery and their futures.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Regional Project Assistant’s work will play a critical role in ensuring that the work of the Institute is streamlined, cost-effective, efficient, and in adherence to donor and partner policies, procedures, and regulations. Specific aspects of the scope of work of the Regional Project Assistant include:

Support to program activities and partners.

Provide logistical support to field missions and events, including arrangement of transportation, workshop and training venues, hotels, and other details.

Conduct desk research, in English and Thai, to support the work of the program teams – for example, collecting and organizing the names and addresses of businesses, or reading and summarizing recent media on a selected topic.

Provide other support as needed to field teams, including support in the field.

Support finance and administration functions.

Finance: Help field and program teams organize receipts and vouchers for expense clearing.

Procurement: Assist with vendor selection and vendor relationships, ensuring good value for money.

Human resources: Assist with the work permit and visa application processes and documents for international staff.

Other administrative assistance as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

We have a lean, dynamic, seasoned team that is committed to change, innovation, and impact. We are conscientious, we hold a high standard of care for our beneficiaries, and understand that we have to be able to work effectively with partners spanning the largest multinational corporations to the smallest grassroots CBOs. Our work ecosystem is multi-cultural, respectful, and energetic, whether we are working on tasks in teams, or working alone. We aim to ensure that there are many opportunities for sharing, learning, and growth on our team, and are looking for individuals who would flourish in our unique environment.

The Regional Project Assistant should have strong English language skills, experience working in a professional, multicultural office environment, and ability to independently manage tasks. Experience working in a non-profit environment is beneficial.